Minnesota
This month, Minnesota passed the Women's Economic Security Act, a multi-faceted law that ensures fairness for women in the workplace. The law's nine parts include wage disclosure protection, better protections and accommodations for pregnant women and new mothers, among other amendments.

Michigan
Women may only make up less than 10 percent of Fortune 500 CEO's, but in Michigan, General Motors named its first female CEO, Mary Barra, this past January. Did we mention that she's the first woman to hold the top job at a major car company—ever?

Washington, D.C.
Let's hope that our capital city is setting the tone for the pay gap throughout the nation. Washington, D.C. In the race to close the wage gap, the city is the winner by quite a bit. D.C. women make 90 percent of what a man makes—5 percent more than any other state, according to the American Association of Unviersity Women. In second place is Maryland, and it can only be assumed that a significant number of workers living in Maryland work in D.C. as well. But that's not all of the District's accolades. According to a study done by WalletHub, they also rank first in professional opportunities for women.

Alabama
This one may surprise you—WalletHub also says that Alabama—who ranks fifth from last in the measure of pay gap by state—ranks first for the highest female-to-male executive ratio (74.48 percent), meaning that they have the greatest gender balance in the boardroom of any state. Who came in second, however, will surprise no one—Washington, D.C.

Connecticut
Making laws isn't the only way to make a difference in ending the pay gap. At the end of last year, the office of the Governor of the state of Connecticut, Dannel P. Malloy, published a report on pay equity designed to encourage companies and employers to shrink the gap between men and women's pay.

Vermont
Also last year, Vermont passed a new package, An Act Relating to Equal Pay, that demands state contractors to determine pay using job-related reasons only. The act also assures that workers are able to request a more flexible schedule—a provision that will without a doubt benefit the state's working mothers.

California
California is home to the nation's best paid female executive, Safra Ada Catz, the CFO and President of tech giant Oracle, who brought home a cool $44.3 million in 2013, according to FindTheBest Companies.